Double ended clip



July 21, 1970 R. G. KRAMER 3,521,332

DOUBLE ENDED our Filed larch 4. 196,8 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .lNl/ENTOR Roy 6; KQA MEE A 770/QNEY July 21, 1970 R. G.- KRAMER 3,521,332

nouam ENDED our v File'd March '4. 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 M/I/EA/TOE Roy 6. KQA M5? 3,521,332 DOUBLE ENDED CLIP Roy G. Kramer, 1342 Signal Drive, Pomona, Calif. 91767 Filed Mar. 4, 1968, Ser. No. 710,268 Int. Cl. A44b 21/00 U.S. Cl. 24-81 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A double ended clip having a pair of arms disposed side by side and pivotally joined intermediate their ends by resilient fulcrum means which yieldably retain in gripping relation two separate pairs of gripping jaws located at opposite ends, respectively, of the arms. The gripping faces of the confronting gripping jaws are recessed to define graduated work receiving openings in the jaws, such that either of the jaws may be used individually or both of the jaws may be used simultaneously to grip a number of articles in side by side relation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates generally to clips and more particularly to a novel double ended clip.

Prior art A variety of clip devices have been devised for joining a number of separate articles. Such clips are generally characterized by a single pair of gripping jaws between which are placed all of the articles to be held. Exemplary of this type of clip, for example, is an ordinary clothespin. In many applications, however, it is useful to have a clip which may be used to join articles in side by side relation. This invention provides such a clip. As will appear from the ensuing description, however, the present clip may be employed, as well, in much the same way as a conventional clip.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The clip of the present invention is a double ended clip which is characterized by a pair of clip arms disposed side by side and having first and second pairs of confronting gripping jaws on opposite ends, respectively, of the arms. The arms are pivotally joined intermediate their ends by resilient fulcrum means which normally retain the respective confronting gripping jaws in gripping relation. The gripping jaws may be used independently or simultaneously. For example, all of the articles to be gripped may be placed between the jaws of one jaw pair. Alternatively, one or more of the articles may be placed between the jaws of one jaw pair and the remaining article or articles may be placed between the jaws of the other jaw pair.

The present clip may be employed for a wide variety of uses. Among these uses are a parallel separator for joining electrical power lines, hoses, cables, and the like, in spaced parallel relation, a holding clip for rods and the like of various geometric shapes in cross-section, a photographic film drying clip, a paper hanger, a drapery and curtain hanger, a supporting clip for attaching a water hose to a support such as a nursery pot, and a clothespin. A feature of the invention which is related to certain of these applications resides in the fact that the opposing gripping faces of one or both of confronting gripping jaws may be recessed to provide the jaws with a number of work receiving openings which are graduated in size to receive rods, wires, hoses, and the like, of various diameters and cross-sections. The gripping jaws of one jaw pair are normally retained in mutual Patent O' cc 3,521,332 Patented July 21, 1970 gripping contact, such that this pair of jaws may be utilized to attach the clip to a relatively thin article, such as a photographic film, nursery container, or the like. According to the preferred practice of the invention, the resilient fulcrum means which pivotally joins the clip arms is provided by a slender web section which extends between and is formed integrally with the arms in such a way that the clip may be economically fabricated in one piece from plastic by an injection molding process, whereby the clip is uniquely adapted for mass production.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a double ended clip according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the clip;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the clip;

FIG. 4 diagrammatically illustrates certain unique pivotal actions and force relationships which obtain in the present clip;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the manner in which the clip is used to attach a water hose to a nursery container or other support;

(FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the clip being used to join a pair of hoses in side by side relation;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a pair of rods joined in side by side relation by means of the clip;

FIG. 8 illustrates the clip being used in the manner similar to that shown in FIG. 7 for joining relatively slender rods or wires;

FIG. 9 illustrates an alternative use of the clip as a bolt or implement holder;

FIG. 10 illustrates the manner in which the present clip, when constructed of electrically insulating material, such as plastic, may be employed to join bare or uninsulated electrical conductors; and

FIG. 11 illustrates the clip being used to join a relatively large number of separate articles.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Turning now to these drawings, there is illustrated a double ended clip 10 according to the invention. This clip has a pair of arms 12 and 14 disposed side by side and pivotally joined intermediate their ends by resilient fulcrum means 16. The clip arms 12 and 14 are mirror images of one another and are shaped to define a first pair 17 of confronting jaws 18 at one end of the arms and a second pair 20 of confronting gripping jaws 22 'at the opposite end of the arms. The resilient fulcrum means 16 yieldably urges the gripping 18, 22 to and retains these jaws in their gripping relation illustrated in FIG. 2. Gripping jaws 18 have confronting gripping faces 24. Gripping jaws 22 have confronting gripping faces 26. In the particular clip of the invention which has been selected for illustration, the gripping faces 24 of the confronting gripping jaws 18 are arranged to abut one another adjacent the outer ends of these jaws when the latter are in gripping relation, as shown at the left-hand end of FIG. 2. The gripping faces 26 of the confronting gripping jaws 22, on the other hand hand, are spaced when these jaws are disposed in gripping relation, as shown at the right-hand end of FIG. 2.

According to a feature of the invention, the gripping faces 24, 26 of the gripping jaws 18, 22 are recessed in the manner illustrated in FIG. 2 to define in the respective confronting gripping jaws a number of work receiving openings 28 of graduated size. In the particular clip illustrated, for example, the left-hand gripping jaws 18 have three generally circular work receiving openings 28 including a relatively large diameter opening adjacent the outer ends of the jaws, a relatively small diameter opening adjacent the fulcrum means, and an intervening work receiving opening of intermediate diameter. Similarly, the gripping jaws 22 have a relatively large diameter work receiving opening adjacent the outer ends of the jaws and a relatively small diameter opening adjacent the fulcrum means.

The opposite extremities of the clip arms 12, 14 extend outwardly in acute angular relation to the longitudinal axis of the clip so as to provide each pair of gripping jaws 18, 22 with a tapered entrance or mouth which facilitates insertion between the jaws of the articles to be joined.

According to another feature of the invention, the fulcrum means 16 which pivotally joins the clip arms 12, 14 comprises a relatively slender web section which extends laterally between and is formed integrally with the arms, as may be readily observed in FIGS. 1 and 2. This feature of the invention permits economical fabrication of the clip in one piece from a suitable material, such as plastic, by an injection molding process. It is evident, of course, that the outer longitudinal edge surfaces of the clip arms 12, 14 may conform to any profile. Preferably, these arms edges are contoured to provide the arms with a generally uniform cross-section from end to end, as shown.

As noted above and illustrated in FIG. 2, the gripping faces 24 of the left-hand gripping jaws 18 are normally disposed in abutting contact adjacent the outer ends of these jaws. More specifically, the jaws 18 are shaped to provide them with confronting, generally V-shaped gripping jaw portions in the region between the left-hand, large diameter jaw opening 28 and the out-turned extremities of the jaws. The resilient fulcrum means or web 16 is stressed to urge the jaw portions 30 into abutting contact, as shown. The clip arms 18 are sized in cross-section to be relatively stiff in their lateral bending mode, that is, to possess substantial lateral bending resistance, and are yet resiliently flexible to a degree such that the gripping jaws 18 are resiliently yieldable to some extent in their lateral direction. This permits the jaws 22 to yield sufficiently to enable a relatively large diameter article, such as a hose or rod, to be forced laterally into the large diameter opening 28 in the jaws when the confronting jaw portions 30 of the opposite gripping jaws 18 are disposed in abutting contact. In this regard, attention is directed to FIG. 4 in which it will be observed that when such a relatively large diameter article is inserted between the jaws 22, the article will exert outward lateral forces on the jaws. These forces, in turn, produce moments on the clip arms 12, 14 about the fulcrum means 16 which urge the opposite jaws 18 into gripping relation. This particular arrangement of the present clip is unique in that it adapts the clip for attaching a water hose H, or the like, to a relatively slender supporting wall C, such as the wall of a nursery can, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5.

It will now be evident to those versed in the art that the present invention is susceptible of a wide variety of uses and applications. One of these uses is that just mentioned and illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. FIGS. 6 through 11 illustrate other possible uses of the clip. In FIG. 6, the clip is employed to join a pair of hoses H of different diameter in side by side relation. FIG. 7 illustrates the clip being employed to join a pair of metal rods R. It is significant to note here that the rods may have various shapes in transverse cross-section. In FIG. 7, for example, one rod has a circular cross-section while the other rod has a hexagonal cross-section. FIG. 8 illustrates two wires W joined by the present clip. In this case, one wire is relatively small in diameter and is inserted into the small diameter opening 28 in the gripping jaws 22. The other wire is somewhat larger in diameter and is inserted into the intermediate diameter opening of the gripping jaws 18. FIG. 9 illustrates the clip used as a bolt or implement holder. FIG. 10-, like FIG. 8, illustrates the clip being used for joining a pair of electrical wires or conductors W. In this case, however, the conductors are bare or uninsulated conductors. Conceivably, the clip may be either constructed of an electrically conductive material, in order to provide a current fiow path between the conductors, or of an electrically insulating material, such as plastic, in order to insulate the conductors from one another. Turning finally to FIG. 11, it will be observed that the present clip may be employed to hold simultaneously or join a relatively large number of articles of various sizes and shapes.

It will be evident to those versed in the art, from the foregoing description, that the gripping jaws 18, 22, and particularly their gripping faces 24, 26, may be shaped and recessed in such a way as to provide the jaws with any number of work receiving openings of any desired shape and cross-section. Accordingly, it should be understood that the clip is not limited to the particular number and shape of work receiving openings shown. Moreover, it "will be appreciated that while some of the possible uses of the present clip have been illustrated in the drawings, these uses are not intended to be exhaustive. In this regard, attention is directed to the earlier listing of other possible uses of the clip. Numerous other applications exist also, of course.

While the invention has been disclosed in connection with one physical embodiment thereof, it will be immediately evident that various modifications of the invention are possible.

What is claimed as new in support of Letters Patent is:

1. A double ended clip comprising:

a unitary molded plastic clip body including a pair of clip arms disposed side by side and a resilient web section integrally joining said arms between their ends to form a fulcrum about which said arms may rock to spread the corresponding ends of the arms,

said arms having confronting generally semi-circular recesses on their inner surfaces defining generally circular openings spaced along said arms for receiving articles to be gripped,

there being a pair of said openings at each side of said web section, and the radii of the recesses defining the openings nearest said web section being less than the radii of the recesses defining the remaining openings, whereby said clip body has a pair of inner small diameter openings adjacent and at opposite sides of said web section and a pair of outer large diameter openings outwardly of said inner openings,

said inner openings defining therebetween said web section and the walls of said inner openings providing the side walls of said web section, and

said arms having a generally uniform thickness throughout.

2. A clip according to claim 1 wherein:

said arms have gripping jaws at one end which normally abut one another and are adapted to be spread by squeezing the opposite end of said arms to wrap said arms about said fulcrum.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,508,785 5/1950 Gorny 24137 2,858,093 10/1958 Knoll.

FOREIGN PATENTS 138,687 9/1950 Australia. 688,260 3/1953 Great Britain. 560,916 4/1957 Italy. 360,235 3/ 1962 Switzerland.

DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner 

